SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
Diamonds Hint at 'Earliest Life'
from BBC News Online
Tiny slivers of diamond forged on an infant Earth may contain the earliest traces of life, a study has shown. Analysis of the crystals showed they contain a form of carbon often associated with plants and bacteria.
The rare gems were found inside zircon crystals, formed a few hundred million years after the Earth came into being. Writing in the journal Nature, the researchers caution that their results are not definitive proof of early life but do "not exclude" the possibility.
"We're all a little sceptical," said Dr Martin Whitehouse of the Swedish Museum of Natural History and one of the authors of the paper.
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